Pet problems
by Storm Arashi
Summary: Zatch and Kiyo decide to get a pet but the problem is Zatch wants to eat all the pet fish in the store! After seeing other pets can they settle on one? And why is Zatch crying? Find out!


I got sort of a writers block with my other Zatch bell fict so here's a oneshot to help me get back on track. Zatch suffers in a different way this time. Not painful but...Torment either way.

Some of these moments are based off of real life experiences.

/

"WHAT? There's fish I CAN'T eat?" The yell inside the petstore alerted other shoppers who stared at the two boys looking in at the Betta fish.

Zatch the boy who was yelling glared at his book owner with disdain. "What's the point?"

Kiyo grinned and held up a cup with one of the betta's in it. "Look at this one squirt. It looks kinda like Tia when she's mad."

Snapped out of it Zatch took the cup and stared at the pink crowntail female intently. "She does look a little like Tia when she's mad." He agreed shuddering. "I don't want it."

Kiyo sighed. "You said you wanted a pet." 

"I wanted a pet not a fish I can't eat!"

"My mom said if it lives in a tank it's acceptable as long as it's not known to kill small children. So that doesn't limit our choices." Kiyo replied ruffling Zatch's hair as he put the fish back. "How about we check out the reptiles?"

Zatch was at the snakes before Kiyo could even blink. "Zatch? Hey wait up!"

An employee watched the eager boy tap the glass on the tank of a gecko. "Hey kid." He said catching the blond's attention. The man had red hair and brown eyes. "Your getting your first pet aren't ya?" 

Zatch nodded. "Yeah how'd you guess?"

The young man named Luka chuckled. "My younger siblings just got their first pets. My middle sister was really mad when she couldn't get a dog. She settled for a fighting fish though."

Zatch stared at the man in awe. _A fish that can fight? Cool!_ "Fish can fight? Awesome! What kind of moves does it know?"

Luka chuckled. "No it doesn't fight like you see on TV. They fight other males. It's illegal though so don't even think about it."

Zatch nodded at him understanding. To be a kind king he shouldn't make animals fight either. "I wanna be a benevolent pet owner. I won't do that to my pets!"

An awkward silence followed as Kiyo finally caught up with the blond. "Zatch I-(wheeze) told you to wait up."

"Sorry!" 

Luka put his hand on his chin in thought. "Hey boys...Have you ever seen a gecko lick it's own eyeballs?" 

Kiyo and Zatch exchanged looks and shook their heads. "No! I wanna see it lick it's eyeballs!"

Cleaning off his hands Luka opened up the tank picking up a small gecko gently. "Watch closely okay?" 

The both boys kept their gaze on the gecko. Luka opened his mouth and stared at it for a minute.

The gecko's tongue darted out the front, then the side and lastly _over it's own eyes._

"Whoa! That is AWESOME!" Zatch exclaimed excitedly. "Can I hold it?"

"Sure just be careful and clean off your hands afterwards. Is it alright with you?" Luka turned to Kiyo who nodded.

Once the gecko was on Zatch's hand it looked at him for a second before darting up his arm around his neck twice and down his other arm repeating this cycle three times before Zatch finally covered it partially with his other hand. "Slippery little guy!" 

Kiyo laughed. "Now that is cool!" He laughed ruffling Zatch's hair. "How much?"

"About twenty."

Zatch's attention however was on another pet. A small ball python stared at him with beady eyes. "Kiyo what about that one?"

"That's nothing. Wanna see a juvenile one eat a mouse?" Luka was joking as he took the gecko back and placed it in it's terrarium. At Zatch and Kiyo's horrified looks he laughed. "I was just kidding! Geesh!"

"Yeah...Come on Zatch let's go wash up...Then we'll find a pet that's suitable and NOT edible!" Kiyo announced dragging Zatch away.

"Aww but Kiyo! What's the point of selling fish if they can't be eaten?" Kiyo sighed at the question but shook it off.

"They have no meat and they can poison you if you do. It's how evolution made them."

"Evo-what?"

Kiyo sighed but led Zatch back to the betta fish.

A few minutes of quiet looking a few times Zatch would hold up a cup containing a brightly colored but extremely expensive Halfmoon or King double tail Betta fish.

As Kiyo was examining a white fish with a green tail Zatch tugged on his pantleg. "Kiyo...Thast one it's not moving." 

Kiyo gulped and sighed. "Zatch it happens sometimes...Sometimes fish die before they can get homes-ZATCH!" His explanation was cut off by Zatch picking up the 'dead' fish's cup. The fish flipped over and swam around wildly. "It-"

Zatch laughed. "This fish is a little trickster! He played dead!"

_At least he isn't trying to eat it._ "So..." Kiyo crouched down to Zatch's level looking him in the eyes. _This kid is more then just a powerful mamodo...He's just six years old._ "Zatch is this your pet?"

Zatch frowned a little thinking it over for a long time. "One of them! We need to find you a fish now!" 

_At least mom said if I wanted to I could get more then one as long as it was out of my own money._ "Okay but they live in separate tanks." 

"Why?" 

"Betta's are fighting fish Zatch. They don't get along well with certain species especially other betta's."

Holding onto his new pet Zatch stared up at a fish tank with dozens of black fish with puffy cheeks and big eyes. "Hey Kiyo!" He called motioning to the tank with his head. "What about these funny looking guys?" 

Kiyo being much taller then Zatch peered into the tank easily. "Moor Goldfish? Nah. I had one as a kid and it killed itself." 

"Why would it do that?" Zatch questioned a little concerned. "Was it really sad?"

"To be honest Zatch...I think it was sick. I found it covered in this white stuff. Your fish doesn't have that does he?" 

Zatch held up the turqoise fish to the light staring at it. "Nope! All clear." 

"Okay good...How about we move on? I know some fish that can be housed with yours."

Neon Tetra's as Kiyo learned captured Zatch's heart as soon as he saw them. Kiyo had to hold him up so he could peer into the tank but the boy was sold.

"Hey! Hey Kiyo! Kiyo! Look over here!"

One look at the word Shrimp and Kiyo shook his head. "They might eat our other fish." An employee this time a young woman was getting five of the neon tetra's. "I would hate for that to happen."

Zatch nodded solemnly. "Yeah why should he get to eat our pets? Hmph!" Cup of fish in hand Zatch marched down the aisle with the tanks.

Thanking the employee Kiyo took the bag of Tetra's and hurried after Zatch. "Hey how about we go get a cart then come back to pick out a tank?" Kiyo suggested. Zatch pouted but nodded.

"Okay..."

After depositing the fish in the cart they looked at tanks. "How about a nice five gallon one? Then we'll get some cool decorations for it. As long as they're not too crazy." 

With this in mind the boys selected a tank finally and added to their cart a few tank decorations such as silk plants and a few real sticks of bamboo. "This'll help create a great eco-system." He explained when Zatch asked about the bamboo. "Plus it'll make the tank look really cool too!"

As it was Kiyo should have never let Zatch pick out the gravel. He ended up picking the mixed colored one that his mother had forbidden since the incident with Kiyo's last fish. "How about something a little less...Flashy?" 

They ended up settling on plain blue gravel with some jewel gravel to spread around as well. "This is gonna be the coolest fish tank ever!" Zatch exclaimed pumping a fist into the air.

Kiyo had a feeling he was going to regret it.

-+-A week later.-+-+

Kiyo walked in the door to see Zatch sitting there looking close to tears.

"Zatch what's wrong?"

"Ki-Kiko- he was playing dead again and-and your mom she-" Zatch grabbed onto Kiyo as he cried. "She put him in the toilet and when I saw him moving again it was too late! She flushed him!" Zatch wailed burying his face into Kiyo's shoulder as he wept. Kiyo rubbed his back.

Kiyo couldn't believe that had happened. "I'm sorry Zatch...We still have the tetra's don't we?" 

Sniffling Zatch nodded. "Then how about we head over to the petshop and get another betta? Something expensive so that when Mom thinks its dead and it's pretending she will try to hold back on flushing it."

Even though Zatch doubted he wanted another fish it seemed like a good idea.

In the end they ended up with three females who ended up getting along. "I'm naming that one Kolulu, that one Tia and oh! Oh! That one is Lunch!"

"Why lunch?" 

"I'm hungry!" 

"ZATCH!"

FIN.

/

I couldn't resist. Actually the red fish that played dead is based on a real fish I encountered yesterday at Petco. I also had once had a gecko do what the gecko in my story did.

I don't own Zatch Bell or any of it's characters. I only own Luka my FMA OC whom I used for this fict as an employee.

I'll be getting my own betta's soon so wish me luck! (Also wish me luck that I can combat writers block successfully.)


End file.
